Two months after private student loan lender National Collegiate Student Loan Trust came under scrutiny amid reports that the company, along with its debt collector TransWorld, filed illegal student loan debt collection lawsuits against defaulted borrowers without citing proper or correct paperwork, federal regulators have ordered the companies to pay $21.6 million in refunds and penalties, and revise their collection practices. [More]
refunds
Wells Fargo Fake Account Fiasco Grows By 1.5 Million Customers
By 8.31.17
It’s been nearly a year since Wells Fargo was slapped with a $185 million fine for pushing their employees to increase their sales numbers by opening new accounts without proper authorization from the customer. Now the bank has revealed a new estimated number of so-called ‘fake accounts‘ that is 1.5 million higher than the bank had previously disclosed. This brings the new total to 3.5 million. [More]
$183M Settlement Means 41,000 Former Corinthian Students Will Get Private Loan Forgiven
By 8.17.17
Nearly 41,000 former students of now-defunct for-profit educator Corinthian Colleges will soon receive refunds for the private student loans they received to attend college, after a coalition of state attorneys general and federal agencies reached a $183.3 million settlement with Aequitas Capital Management, the issuer of these loans. [More]
Did Wells Fargo Fail To Refund Customers’ Auto Insurance?
By 8.8.17
Only weeks after being accused of pushing hundreds of thousands of auto loan customers into paying for unwanted and unnecessary insurance plans, Wells Fargo finds itself in another possible insurance scandal, with banking regulators investigating claims that Wells allegedly failed to refund insurance money to some borrowers who paid off their car loans early. [More]
Here’s How To Get Your $5 Drone Registration Fee Refund From The FAA
By 7.7.17
Did you pay $5 to register your drone with the Federal Aviation Administration? Now that an appeals court has overturned the agency’s rule requiring hobbyist drone operators to register their aircraft, you can get your money back and remove your name from the federal database. [More]
How To Get Your Refund From Amazon For Your Kids’ Unauthorized In-App Purchases
By 5.30.17
If you’ve been waiting patiently for a refund from Amazon for in-app purchases your kids made without your permission, your time has come. [More]
Auto Lender Fined Another $1.25M For Failing To Issue Refunds To Servicemembers Threatened By Debt Collectors
By 4.26.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
An Ohio-based auto lender that has already been penalized for $3.28 million for using aggressive debt collection tactics against members of the armed forces is once again in hot water with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for failing to issue refunds to the servicemembers that were harassed. [More]
LuLaRoe Offering Refunds To Everyone Who Bought ‘Defective’ Leggings Since Jan. 2016
By 4.25.17
In the wake of a lawsuit claiming that its products are defective and it won’t give refunds, multi-level clothing retailer LuLaRoe has announced a massive refund program for customers who are dissatisfied with their new clothes. [More]
Amazon Stops Fight With Feds Over Kids’ In-App Purchases; Parents May Finally Get Refunds
By 4.4.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Almost a year after Amazon was found liable for unfairly billing parents for kids’ in-app purchases, consumers are one step closer to getting refunds for those unauthorized charges after the Federal Trade Commission and the e-commerce giant decided to stop fighting over the process. [More]
Don’t Be Scammed Into Paying For A Refund From West Union Fraud Settlement
By 4.4.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
Earlier this year, Western Union agreed to pay $585 million to settle federal allegations that it didn’t do enough to prevent fraudulent transactions. Some of this money is to be paid out to victims of this fraud, but the government is warning people not to let themselves get scammed a second time.. [More]
Santander Bank To Pay $26M Over Subprime Auto Loan Practices
By 3.29.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
One of the nation’s largest providers of automobile financing, Santander Bank, has agreed to pay $26 million to end a two-state investigation into the financial institution’s alleged violation of state consumer protection laws related to its auto loan underwriting practices. [More]
Cable Company Sends Refund Check That Bounces, Bills Customer Twice For Service He Doesn’t Have
By 3.13.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
When Consumerist reader Andy canceled his Time Warner Cable service back in November he expected to get a small refund. But he got more than he bargained for: a bounced check fee, followed several months later by bills for service he no longer had. [More]
Kohl’s Appears To Break Own Policy By Not Refunding $1,500 Credit Card Overpayment
By 3.10.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
When you overpay your credit card, should you be able to get a refund? One Arizona family accidentally paid their Kohl’s credit card bill twice, but the retailer refused to refund their $1,500, even though Kohl’s policies and federal regulations require it. [More]
IRS Waiting On 1 Million Taxpayers To Claim Almost $1B In Refunds From 2013
By 3.1.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
There is free money to be had, but you don’t have much time: Just like last year, the Internal Revenue Service says about one million taxpayers have yet to collect nearly a billion dollars in federal refunds from the 2013 tax year. [More]
L.L. Bean Reportedly Thinking Of Ditching Free Returns
By 2.10.17
As retailers increasingly shifted toward more restrictive return policies, L.L. Bean’s generous approach to accepting returns has stood out. However, that could soon change as the Bean looks to shave costs. [More]
CitiFinancial, CitiMortgage To Pay $28.8M Over Mortgage Servicing Issues
By 1.24.17
Millions of consumers lost their homes when the housing market bubble burst. But federal regulators say some of those people may have been able to stay in their homes had mortgage lenders fulfilled their requirements. To that end, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has ordered two Citigroup subsidiaries to pay $28.8 million to resolve allegations that some of its mortgage units harmed home borrowers. [More]
The $300 From My Southwest Gift Card Vanished & Got Lost In Costco Switch To Visa
By 1.20.17
The gift of flight turned into a nightmare for a California woman when the Southwest Airlines gift card she purchased for her daughter was mysteriously canceled without notice, and then the funds vanished into thin air. [More]
Feds Halt Timeshare Scheme That Bilked $15 Million From Property Owners
By 12.22.16
When buying into a timeshare, many owners receive more weeks at the property than they could possibly use in their lives. This has created a second industry that focuses on reselling or renting out the properties. But, as the Federal Trade Commission showed this week, not all of these businesses are legitimate, some are just out to line their own pockets. [More]
